Currently in the cosmetic, nail, construction and medicine fields, there are many applicators that may be used to apply liquids, powders, gels and other viscous materials. By way of example and not limitation, in the cosmetic industry, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick and the like use wand applicator brushes and applicator pads which can be dipped into tubes or jars of liquid, powder and gels and the like and then applied to the user's face. Mascara, for example, may come in a two part substantially cylindrical tube, wherein the mascara is located in the bottom part of the tube, while the applicator brush is permanently affixed to the top (cap) of the tube. When not in use, the top of the tube containing the applicator is screwed onto the bottom part of the tube, such that the applicator is stored within the mascara in the bottom. Likewise, in the medicine field, there are both prescription and over-the-counter liquid medications and glues that come in containers that have applicators affixed to the top cover which are used to apply the medication or glue to the proper site. In addition, in the construction and other related fields, there are glues and other goopy and/or viscous product containers that require applicators to apply the glue or other viscous product to a surface.
In all of these applications, the original self-contained permanently affixed applicator that accompanies the product may not be the best size, shape or the preferred configuration for either the application or the user or both. In addition, among other known issues, applicator tips may wear out, have too much residue from prior use(s), lose their sterility or become contaminated, such that the remaining contents may no longer be accessible and ultimately gets discarded.
In addition, mascara and other cosmetics usually come with specific applicators that can be any number of shapes. By way of example, and not limitation, there are mascaras or brow gel products that contain differently configured brushes that may either create length, volume, or the curling of the eyelashes or for the filling in of the brow. For someone wishing to be able to achieve all of these benefits, a user must either purchase multiple tubes of product (such as, by way of example and not limitation, mascara or brow gel) or numerous different unique shaped brush wands. In order to have a portable mascara, unless the tube comes with the desired wand applicator, the user may not be able to switch the existing wand cap of one mascara to another wand cap containing a brush shape that the user prefers, as the cap containing a wand from one brand of product or even from the same brand of product may not be not interchangeable. The same may be true of medications, glues and other viscous products which need an applicator head to be applied. Likewise, with these products the neck of one product container may not match the size and shape of another product cap containing a different applicator from another container.
Further, using a new or different applicator head affixed to a cap from one brand may not fit into the container of another or the same brand of product. Many times, if another applicator tip is preferred or desired, it must be carried loose which could cause contamination of the applicator tip or of the product itself. Therefore it would be advantageous in the art to provide a liquid, powder and/or gel container in which the applicator heads/wands in the caps can be replaced.